Growing up in Ohio, we lived in a former apple orchard. As a result, our home was ringed by beautiful old apple trees. The blossoms in spring were beautiful, but the fallen apples in fall my brother and I had to pick up, not so much.

One memory I especially savor is the family of chipmunks that lived in and around one of those trees in our back yard. I fed the furry little fellas every day. At first, I would leave them food nearby and then disappear. I gradually started throwing the food in their direction, and over time, the distance between us grew shorter. Eventually, they would take the grain right out of my hand. By being patient, I came to win their trust. But by observing them up close, I also began to notice the differences in both their appearance and their behavior. I was able to give each one of them a special name that seemed to fit their personalities.

Human beings are no different. It’s unrealistic to think we’re going to win their trust in a single sales call or a marketing letter. In order to win their trust, we need to be willing to invest the time to reach out to them on a regular basis. We need to be patient in letting them decide when to increase that level of trust. And we need to be ever mindful of the fact that trust will not exist without mutual respect for one another and the fact that neither will gain if both parties do not win. Selling, as I’ve said before, is largely an emotional decision. And emotions, to a great extent, are based on intuition.

Those chipmunks taught me a good lesson about building trusting relationships. Good luck in building yours.

Comments Off